Wireless subscriber units continue to expand in function and features as wireless technology develops. Multiple services can now be performed on a single wireless subscriber unit. Examples of multiple services include telephone service, dispatch service, and packet data service. Further, these wireless services can include communications between wireless subscribe devices using a central call processing switch and services enabling point-to-point communications between wireless devices without going through a call processing switch. An advantage to a multi-service wireless device is the ability to communicate with a number of different types of devices using various wireless services e.g. cellular, satellite, point-to-point, and others. The availability of multi-service wireless services is not without its challenges. One challenge is to correctly bill for of each service.
For example, FIG. 1 illustrates a current system 100 with a centralized call processing server 110 that is used for allowing wireless subscriber units 102, 104, 106, 108 to communicate with each other. The wireless subscriber units 102, 104, 106, 108 communicate with each other by setting up the connection through the call processing server 110. The call processing server 110 then communicates with the location server 112 to locate the party to the connection. A billing server 114 communicates with the call processing server 110 and records all billing information for the wireless subscriber units 102, 104, 106, 108. This system 100 enables traditional billing methods for wireless data, such as voice calls or instant messaging, in services where the wireless subscriber units using a wireless network and for services in which the wireless network is only used for call setup to enable point-to-point, such as Internet Protocol (“IP”) based calls between wireless subscriber units.
FIG. 2 illustrates another system 200 with a first centralized call processing server 214 that is currently used for allowing wireless subscriber units 202, 204, 206, 208, 210, 212 to communicate with and locate a peer wireless subscriber unit communicatively coupled to a second centralized call processing server 216. The wireless subscriber units 202, 204, 206 must register with the call processing server 214. Similarly, the wireless subscriber units 208, 210, 212 must register with the call processing server 216. In the case where a wireless subscriber unit 202, 204, 206, 208, 210, 212 wirelessly communicates with another unit registered with the same call processing server 214, 216, the system performs as described in FIG. 1. However, in the case where the wireless subscriber unit 202, 204, 206, 208, 210, 212 wirelessly communicates with a peer unit registered on a different call processing server 214, 216, the call processing server 214, 216 must communicate with a proxy server 218. The proxy server 218 communicates with the other call processing server 214, 216 and locates the peer unit.
Setting up a connection through a call processing server is inefficient because traffic flow problems are created. A call processing server has a limited capacity for the amount of traffic that the server can process. The lack of resources in the call processing server creates a bottleneck effect which hinders network performance. Additionally, when the connection is setup through a call processing server, security becomes an issue because the wireless subscriber units are not communicating directly with each other. The call processing server needs to take additional steps, for example, encryption, to ensure a secure connection between the wireless subscriber units. The additional steps further reduce the resources available on the call processing server and add to the bottleneck effect.
As discussed above, the wireless subscriber units are multi-service capable and one of those services is direct peer-to-peer communication. In the case where the service is a direct point-to-point communication between two or more wireless subscriber units, billing for such service is very difficult to provide. It is not uncommon for the call setup to go through multiple servers and often times multiple entities when providing direct peer-to-peer communication. This complexity makes billing security from one wireless subscriber unit to another wireless subscriber unit difficult.
In the case of direct peer-to-peer communication between wireless subscriber units, however, a centralized server is not always involved in the connection setup in the case when a user of a wireless unit previously obtained a direct address of another wireless subscriber unit. Since the wireless subscriber units communicate with each other directly with the initial call connection setup by a call processing server, billing the units for time usage is very difficult. The units are usually billed by the number of bits transmitted or just a flat rate fee. When billing by the amount of bits transmitted, unstable coverage and slow transmission speeds triggers data re-transmission in which the billing system usually cannot properly identify or a complicated billing system has to be used. Unnecessary service charges occur as a result and the system does not have the capability to dynamically manipulate these extra charges. Also in the case where wireless subscriber units communicate directly with each other and without use of a call processing server, billing by a flat rate is not efficient. The user of the wireless subscriber unit many times cannot estimate the cost of the service or choose the optimal cost for the service. For example, the user cannot select a slower service for a lower fee.
Moreover, there may be a separate billing system for each service that the wireless subscriber unit is capable of performing and/or each method of communicating i.e. direct point-to-point or through a wireless network. For example, there may be a different billing system for telephone service, dispatch service, and packet data service. These systems are not integrated so that a wireless subscriber unit using all of the services separately or simultaneously can be properly billed for the services.